Killing the Golden Goose: The Declining Health of State Unclaimed Property Programs

States are becoming ever more zealous in their pursuit of unclaimed property as a way to secure steady and reliable funding for their budgets. Unclaimed property is thus a “golden goose” for state budgets. However, this aggressive pursuit—especially through private contractors compensated through a contingency fee—may kill the golden goose. This article offers a diagnosis and some suggestions for states’ treatment of unclaimed property.